the house of joyce

I had a fantastic opportunity to shoot the house of another author - Joyce, an American who has authored several books about Angkor's world heritage temples.

Tucked away from Siem Reap's bustling developments, her property is on a tight unpaved road leading to the countryside but still within easy access to town. The house is done in traditional Khmer Village style and is superbly interpreted with fine teak and Cambodian wood. There are two main structures in the property, one is the main house and the other is a guest house.

As water is a primary element in Khmer homes, several lotus ponds are positioned around the property, but the most romantic element here is a stream that runs through the perimeter walls and is capped by a covered bridge (ala Bridges of Madison County).


the main house on the left and the guest house on the right


a lotus pond on the main house. The living and dining areas are very much open to the elements


the bedroom


a lounge on the balcony


the balcony on the 2nd floor of the main house


the office and library


steps leading to the guest rooms


a room in the guest house


another room in the guesthouse


room detail of the guest house

In full tribute to Khmer culture, furnishings inside the house were done by local artisans in local materials such as silk, brass, terracotta and wood. And if that's not enough, the perimeter walls were laid using laterite - the very same base stones used in the building of the Angkor temples a thousand years ago.

The sheer dedication and attention to detail lovingly imbued in the building of this house is pure artisitic inspiration for me...